Barry Black 

“FBI, open up!” The very phrase evokes the image of a quiet, humorless individual wearing dark glasses and flashing a badge. Former agent Barry Black is quite the opposite. He is cheerful, chatty, and optimistic. After a 31-year career, he can easily dispel the stereotype, explaining that effective agents have strong teamwork skills and the ability to help people on their worst day. 

“I grew up reading The Untouchables and watching S.W.A.T. Classic good-guy versus bad-guy stuff,” said Black. “I wanted to become an agent, but those shows don’t truly portray what an agent does.” 

Unlikely Career Path 

Surprisingly, Black entered the field in an unassuming way, as a 24-year-old accountant. “I started in financial crimes, like stock manipulation and bankruptcy fraud,” Black said. “It was not boring. We handled about 30 cases at a time. Once, a semi-truck unloaded 800 boxes of records for one case.” 

In 1988, Black received a sealed envelope ordering him to Oklahoma. Although he expected frequent relocations, the Bureau extended his stay. “I was happily living in Edmond, so they just left me here,” Black said. 

The Big Cases 

As a new employee, Black’s senior trainer was a nationally recognized agent over the sniper team. “I went shooting with him, and he said I was good enough to try out, so I did,” Black said. 

Black’s rising rank in the FBI included some of the most significant cases in recent history, beginning with his first major assignment in 1993 as a sniper for the Waco, Texas siege. “I was literally standing on the compound as it was smoldering when I met some FBI bomb technicians. I was fascinated by their job, so I applied for bomb school and was accepted. At the time, there was only one bomb technician in Oklahoma,” Black said. 

He then responded to the Oklahoma City bombing, unaware that his wife had walked out of the Alfred P. Murrah building just two minutes before the bomb went off. His next major case was the 1996 Olympics bombing, followed by the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center. In his later career, Black was assigned to international terrorism, traveling to every continent except Antarctica. He laughed, remembering the day his airline thanked him for traveling one million miles. 

The details of his adventures are published in his new book, Hazardous Devices: Memoir of an FBI Bomb Technician, Accountant and Sniper. It was a book he never expected to write. 

A childhood friend once told him to keep career notes because the details would become lost over time. A publisher approached Black about writing a forensic science textbook, but after reading a sample of his journaled experiences, they veered off course to publish his biography. “It’s mostly about the lifestyle of being an agent. I’ve been amazed anyone would find my life interesting,” Black said. 

Teaching the Next Generation 

After retirement, he was hired six years ago by Dr. Dwight Adams to teach forensic courses at the University of Central Oklahoma. “I’d been a master instructor for the Bureau, teaching commando and special forces classes, like underwater post-blast courses with the Australian Navy,” Black said. “I wasn’t sure about teaching college, but I love it! I’m working with highly motivated students. It’s very rewarding to train the next generation.” 

Black teaches a first responder course on dealing with the chaos of the career. “You see some horrible things, but you can’t keep that darkness within you or bring it home to your family. I encourage people to find a positive outlet: in friends, faith, or family,” Black said. “Law enforcement changed a lot over my career. Sometimes agents witness terrible tragedies, but catching the folks responsible is always rewarding.” 

Learn more at barryblackokc.com